Notre Dame still No. 1, Ohio State remains fourth

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Notre Dame is still a unanimous choice as the
top-ranked college football team in the nation after completing an undefeated
regular season on Saturday night, while the only other unbeaten, Ohio State,
remained fourth in the latest Associated Press poll.

The Fighting Irish will head to the BCS National Championship Game in January
with the No. 1 ranking thanks to a 22-13 win at Southern California on
Saturday night. Notre Dame, which received all 60 first-place votes from a
nationwide media panel for the second week in a row, finished the season 12-0
and will try for its first national championship since 1988.

Alabama or Georgia will be the Irish's likely opponent in Miami. The second-
ranked Crimson Tide and third-ranked Bulldogs will square off in the SEC
Championship Game next Saturday in Atlanta in what amounts to a de facto
national semifinal.

While Notre Dame might not finish the season unbeaten, Ohio State definitely
will. The Buckeyes finished 12-0 on Saturday with a 26-21 win over arch-rival
Michigan to complete the sixth perfect season in school history, but are
ineligible for the postseason in Urban Meyer's first year after the NCAA
levied a one-year bowl ban as part of penalties stemming from Jim Tressel's
tenure.

Ohio State cannot win the BCS title, but there are no restrictions in the
media balloting. The Buckeyes became the first team ineligible for postseason
play to finish unbeaten since Auburn was 11-0 under Terry Bowden in 1993.

Florida and Oregon swapped places in this week's poll, with the Gators moving
up to No. 5 after a win over Florida State. Kansas State, Stanford, LSU and
Texas A&M complete this week's top 10. Stanford, which knocked off a No. 1
Oregon squad last week, moved up three spots from 11th after winning at UCLA
on Saturday to set up a rematch with the Bruins in the Pac-12 title game.

The second 10 consists of South Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida State, Nebraska,
Clemson, Oregon State, UCLA, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Utah State.
Kent State and Northern Illinois each moved up five places from last week and
will meet for the Mid-American Conference title on Friday.

Michigan, Northwestern, Texas, Oklahoma State and Boise State are the last
five teams ranked. Texas tumbled five places after a home loss to TCU on
Thanksgiving, while Northwestern and Boise State are newcomers.

Northwestern, which was ranked for a week earlier this season after a 5-0
start, wrapped up a 9-3 season. Boise State has been in and out of the poll
all season and is back after a three-week absence.

Louisville and Rutgers each dropped out of the rankings after losses this
weekend. The Cardinals fell in overtime at home against Connecticut and have
lost two in a row after a 9-0 start, while the Scarlet Knights lost at
Pittsburgh. The teams will meet Thursday in Piscataway. A Rutgers win clinches
an outright Big East title and a BCS berth, while a Louisville victory forces
at least a three-way tie for the title between the Cardinals, Scarlet Knights
and Syracuse, with Cincinnati also still alive for a share.

The Big 12 title is also up for grabs with Kansas State and Oklahoma still in
contention. Kansas State will host Texas on Saturday, while Oklahoma will
visit TCU.